Long before the Babylon 5space station brought Humans face-to-face with alien races, they discovered an extraordinary breed among their very own....

The year is 2115. Shock waves follow in the wake of astonishing news: science has proven the existence of telepaths. Amid media frenzy, panic, and bloodshed, Earth's government steps in to restore order -- and establish tight control over the newfound special population...by any means necessary.

Ambitious senator Lee Crawford spearheads the effort, overseeing the creation of the Psi Corps -- an elite unit charged with tagging and monitoring all telepaths "for their own protection." But the real agenda behind the crackdown is one of government control. Many question the telepaths' origins, while others view them as a coveted weapon. As the Corps tightens its iron grip, the stage is set for a cataclysmic confrontation -- one in which the future of Earth will be decided

Analysis

Part one of the Psi Corps triology by J. Gregory Keyes, Dark Genesis: The Birth of the Psi Corps is the first book set in the Babylon 5 universe that does not directly include any characters familiar from the television series. Many of the characters are distant ancestors of other characters we are already familiar with, though, adding a level of history to the story.

The story follows the emergence of telepaths among Humans, and the consequences resulting from that. There are pogroms, discrimination, and conspiracies surrounding the new telepaths. EarthGov takes a hand in the telepath problem, by creating a government agency for telepaths. This agency gradually transforms into the Psi Corps that is known and loved from the television series.

Dark Genesis fills in some gaps of knowledge in the Babylon 5 universe, specifically about the times in which the novel is set (late 22nd century, 80 or so years before the series begins). Earth's first contact with the Centauri is covered, as is the creation of the telepath resistance movement.

Overall, the story is a bit thin, and the characters aren't fleshed out a great deal. The course of history and story are what drives this book, however, making it a good choice for Babylon 5 fans.